Platy Pregnant?

[Kold]

I have two Gold Crested Platies in my 10 Gallon tank. Along with 3 Neons and Plecky (my plecko I love so much).

I think both my platies are female (Fan shaped tail with no "point" in the middle). And one has a really big belly these days. Is it possible for her to have some left over sperm from a male at the LFS from over a month back and actualy be pregent now?

If so I'm assuming shes gonna eat her young. But I am curious as to how long a platy will take to give birth once she starts getting big like that.

I dont have time/money to get another tank and cycle it. But is there a way I could possibly keep the fry alive long enough for them to grow so I can give some to my friends?

wow lots of questions in this post.

Thanks in advance.
Kold

 

[Swimfins]

prolly preggers lol. Mine had babies, who knows how many, most were eaten, two survivors that managed to hide out long enough to reach half inch now. The babies had lots of hiding spots. I didn't feed them anything special, they just foraged from leftovers and are thriving.

 

[Gettin' Tanked]

Yes, it's possible your female platy is pregnant - females store unused sperm in their oviduct walls for later use. If your platy is light colored, you can probably spot a growing dark body marking in front of the anal fin. Platy's have a gestation period of 4-6 weeks and can give birth to anywhere from 50-120 young. Platy parents provide no natal care whatsoever and, in fact, will eat their own young if you do not protect them. If you do not have a seperate quarantine tank, this can be accomplished by using a breeding trap (although, I have heard that these can put the expectant mother under stress and induce premature labor), by putting floating plants in the tank (unless your tank is already heavily planted which would provide sufficient cover), or using a tank divider to keep the fry seperated from the rest of the community until they are big enough to avoid being a snack (although your 10 gallon tank is too small to make this a viable option).

Having said all of that, be careful about assuming her big belly is the result of a pregnancy. It could also be the result of overfeeding. Other possibilities include a swim bladder disorder or dropsy, both of which would display a range of other symptoms as well. If your platy seems normal in every other way, you can probably rule out disease, but it would be wise to keep an eye on her.

Hope this helps!

 

[Kold]

Thanks for the advise guys. This site is the active forums I have been looking for.

Maybe now I can start taking care of my tank a little better with easy access to advise.